Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 85,529 Shares of PriceSmart, Inc. $PSMT

Vontobel Holding Ltd. decreased its position in shares of PriceSmart, Inc. (NASDAQ:PSMT) by 49.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 88,816 shares of the company’s stock after selling 85,529 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in PriceSmart were worth $10,764,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of PriceSmart by 560.0% during the 1st quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 297 shares of the company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 252 shares during the last quarter. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. purchased a new stake in PriceSmart in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC grew its position in PriceSmart by 52.5% during the second quarter. Steward Partners Investment Advisory LLC now owns 363 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP bought a new position in PriceSmart during the first quarter valued at approximately $49,000. Finally, Osaic Holdings Inc. raised its stake in shares of PriceSmart by 57.2% during the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 492 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,000 after acquiring an additional 179 shares in the last quarter. 80.46% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

PriceSmart Stock Up 0.1%

NASDAQ PSMT opened at $123.98 on Thursday. PriceSmart, Inc. has a 1 year low of $81.25 and a 1 year high of $131.46. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.82 billion, a PE ratio of 25.72 and a beta of 0.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.12, a current ratio of 1.34 and a quick ratio of 0.57. The business’s 50-day moving average is $122.00 and its 200 day moving average is $114.76.

PriceSmart (NASDAQ:PSMT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The company reported $1.02 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.10 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.33 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.33 billion. PriceSmart had a return on equity of 12.34% and a net margin of 2.81%.The business’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.94 EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that PriceSmart, Inc. will post 5.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts recently commented on PSMT shares. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of PriceSmart from a “buy (b+)” rating to a “buy (a-)” rating in a research report on Monday. Wall Street Zen cut PriceSmart from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, November 28th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Strong Buy”.

Insider Activity at PriceSmart

In other PriceSmart news, Director Gordon H. Hanson sold 851 shares of PriceSmart stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $117.44, for a total transaction of $99,941.44. Following the sale, the director directly owned 7,653 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $898,768.32. The trade was a 10.01% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, COO John D. Hildebrandt sold 10,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $115.10, for a total value of $1,151,000.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer owned 115,615 shares in the company, valued at $13,307,286.50. This trade represents a 7.96% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 12,706 shares of company stock worth $1,467,980. 17.10% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

About PriceSmart

PriceSmart, Inc (NASDAQ: PSMT) is a U.S.-based retailer specializing in membership warehouse clubs. Founded in 1993, the company operates under a business model that offers bulk quantities of goods at discounted prices to individuals and businesses that purchase annual memberships. PriceSmart’s value proposition centers on low-cost operations, high-volume purchasing, and a no-frills shopping environment designed to pass savings directly to its members.

The company’s product assortment covers a broad range of merchandise categories, including groceries and fresh produce, household essentials, electronics, appliances, office supplies, furniture, and health and beauty items.